Orcon Corp. is closing its carpet seaming supplies and tools business. "The floor covering business is not going to come back very fast while the aircraft and aerospace business is doing well," said Hollis Bascom, owner. "We'll be finished shipping carpet seaming products in about 50 days." Orcon was established as an aerospace supplier in 1962 and added its carpet seaming tape operation in 1970.

As the dominant supplier for carpet seaming materials and tools, Orcon, with approximately 50 percent market share, is an important brand. "We are trying to sell the name and equipment. The name is very valuable," Bascom stressed. "The name Orcon will likely continue through a narrow license for carpet tools and seaming supplies, but will be reserved for Orcon's space and aircraft operations as well as other businesses."

The announcement caught most in the business of supplying carpet seaming materials by surprise. "It's very surprising that it's exiting the business," said John Anderson, BPI's vice president of sales and marketing. "Those installers who've been committed to Orcon will have to make another choice."

"We ordered a couple truckloads from Orcon and will stockpile as much as we can," said Dan Lee, president of Fort Worth, Texas-based Professional Flooring Supply. "There are other suppliers but it will take time for them to get up and running. Raw materials supply could be an issue."

Alternate suppliers are ready to step in Orcon's place. Seam Master Industries will be happy to be a replacement, according to Richard Kahrs, general manager. "It was a shock to hear that Orcon will close, but it's a windfall for Seam Master," Kahrs said. "We're in position to pick up a lot of the business. We have the equipment and plant size to be able to handle the volume. All we have to do is activate the equipment and we can make a very similar type of tape."